Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Now that the news of Mohd. Ayazuddin's (son of former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin) death is out, media in AP (print and broadcast) have crossed their limits in a race to provide their readers the juciest news regarding street racing in Hyderabad.
For those who are unaware of the incident, let me give you a brief background of what had happened. Ayazuddin (19) and his cousin, Ajmal-ur-Rahman (16) had gone for an early morning ride on the Outer Ring Road on Ayaz's Hayabusa, a superbike, rammed into the divider at a high speed following which Ajmal who was a pillion rider died instantly while Ayaz sustained severe injuries. Both of them were then rushed to Apollo Hospital by the police where Ajmal was declared brought dead and Ayaz was undergoing treatment. After a week's observation, Ayaz also succumbed to injuries.
While this happens to be incident, media in Andhra Pradesh had gone a step further by publishing or airing stories on the 'perilous' bike racing scene in Hyderabad. Stories on the technical details of the bike, escalating number of foreign or sports bikes in Hyderabad, Illegal bike and car racing in the city, betting on the races, condition of roads in the city and whether they are suitable to drive these bikes, security checks and presence of toll gates on roads like the Outer Ring Road (ORR), craze for expensive automobiles increasing among youngsters, legal bike racing scene in the city, protective gear to be worn by bikers and process to become a professional biker and be a part of the racing scene et all.
Though the media's effort to proceed in various directions and get different perspectives on the central point was laudable, they over did every single thing. Beginning with the story on how dangerous street racing is, the media had portrayed it in negative light, creating a stereotypical image that racing is bad. Instead, the media should've focussed on how bike racing is also chosen as a career and why many cannot opt for it in our country, given the fact that we enjoy the back-breaking rides on those bumpy roads. A better story would be on how roads in Hyderabad were not suitable for such bikes and how the government should have or has given permission to the "sports racing committee/body" for such roads to exist in this city.
Another thing that the media always highlights during such accidents is the security aspect. While the media highlighted the fact that there was no toll gate or security checks on the outer ring road and blamed the city's police for not being vigilant about such illegal races, it should remember that police bear the brunt of every single thing here.
While many of the rich kids in the city own these bikes, the media should've highlighted the fact that these bikes belong to those houses where the head of the family is either a "big-shot in the city" or a politician". Even the police cannot do anything in such cases, knowing the fact that these races are illegal, only because their job is at stake if they say anything to the "rich kids with big bikes". while everyone knows it, no one raises a voice. the media should've highlighted on how many such imported or foreign or sports bikes in the city are still unregistered, their process of registration and why they haven't been registered so far.
Even after Azay's death, Time of India carried stories of how Jwala Gutta spoke to them and expressed her condolence over Ayaz's death from China. I mean....the boy is dead and the story still continued to run in TOI just to get more readers to read the story?
Whatever has happened to Ayaz is inconsolable and it definitely proved to be a road to perdition for him. For all those who want to make their first in racing, a small advice for you. BEWARE!
Well, the "media in AP" can make money through everything under the sky. Even Death.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Now that I work for a newspaper, supposedly a national newspaper, as a sub-editor, I haven't been doing a lot of what I thought I would be doing. And that is reporting, reading and exercising. Currently my life revolves only around my work where I edit copies which come from the moffusil centres in case of which the reporter assumes himself/herself to be the master of the copy and writes shit!!! Yes I mean shit.
People say I'm obsessed with work and office because I love it. But, the point is, everyday there's so much to learn that I find a new challenge at work which keeps me going. Unfazed by their criticism and appreciation, I carry on with my work. But the work is HECTIC (yes I capitalized it on purpose). Sometimes, I have nightmares where my editor scorns me for being careless while editing a copy and sometimes, I dream of reporting human interest stories which I though I would be doing as soon as I was done with my PG.
But, slowly and steadily I've been learning that I am supposed to learn a lot more than what I can see. Something beyond the obvious like my college's Vice-dean always says.
Now talking about reading and exercising. I had this great determination to begin reading books, assuming I would have a few free hours in my hand before and after work. But, laziness can be victorious many a times in my case! Every time I pick a book from the book shelf, I have this thing going in my mind like "oh! you can complete it in a week or two...start reading it!" But I realize that I have somehow lost the interest in reading books and wouldn't complete it in a week or two with that irregular sleeping routine. I'm struggling hard to regain that 'lost patience' waiting to turn every page of the book to know what happens next! Similar thing happens when I think of exercising. Every time I wear my jogging shoes feeling like "Usain Bolt", thinking to jolt my parents by losing those extra pounds. But the very thought of exercising (which, once upon a time, used to give me a 'high') now bores me only because I'm not paying to exercise by visiting a gymnasium, which I had done for two years continuously, but exercising on a cross-trainer that I bought recently.
I have started exercising lately but I do not know how long this would continue and my forever-dream of losing weight would remain a bubble that would never burst. Though this cribbing doesn't stop, I need to get going and am waiting to see whether this exercise regime that I've created for myself continues or comes to a grinding halt. And, I hope the same with reading too, though its a different case for reporting, given my immense love for it. However, I would go nuts if my editor calls me to his cabin one fine day (in the near future) and asks me to shift to the reporting section of the office from the editorial section. And, I would definitely say "Shut Up!" to him in a similar fashion that Anne Hathaway said to her grandmother in the movie 'Princess Diaries' when she is asked to become the Princess of Genovia.

About Me

A self-consciously simple woman, a journalist who loves writing on any issue related to human rights. I love probing further to get to the core of the issues I confront. Empathy and concern for weaker sections of the society helps me write my stories with passion and insight. Winner of the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity 2013 for the Southern Region. This apart, a naturalist, an ambivert and a humane human.